Cameron in Beijing to Champion EU-China Trade Pact

British Prime Minister David Cameron attended a welcome ceremony hosted by his Chinese counterpart Li Keqiang in Beijing on Monday (December 2, 2013).

The two leaders inspected the guard of honour before sitting down for talks at the Great Hall of the People.

Before his trip, Cameron said he wanted to lay the ground for a multi-billion-dollar free trade deal between Beijing and the European Union, despite growing unease about his own country's membership of the bloc.

On a three-day visit with a delegation of around 100 business people, the largest British mission of its kind, Cameron said he wanted his country to play an important role in China's expansion as the world's second biggest economy is talking about opening up its markets.

Cameron's push for an EU-China trade deal will irritate the European Commission, which is understood to be strongly opposed to such a move on the grounds that it risks flooding the bloc with cheap Chinese imports.

It is also likely to be seized upon by political opponents as he has put a question mark over Britain's continued membership of the 28-nation EU by promising Britons an in/out referendum on leaving the bloc if re-elected in 2015.

Campaigners have often accused Cameron of putting trade before human rights. On this trip, activists want him to raise what they say are rights abuses in Tibet.

Cameron will visit a training academy for Jaguar Land Rover sales staff in Beijing on Monday to mark its official opening as the carmaker unveils a deal worth £4.5 billion to provide 100,000 cars to the National Sales Company in China.

The Prime Minister is also scheduled to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping later on Monday.